Among Friends

 The link to this week's live-streamed service is here,

Friendship Coffee met on Thursday morning in the hall at SPPC. This is one of the oldest ministries of our congregation, beginning a scant four years after the present church building was opened. We have received many accolades for being a friendly congregation so it is no surprise that friendship coffee is so deeply embedded in our congregational life.

There are many places to meet friends and share a cup of coffee -- Tim Horton's, Shoal Centre, Anavets, -- to name a few, but coffee at the church with friends fills a special longing. 

Over the years the program has evolved. Organizers have retired or passed away. COVID-19 put a hold on gatherings. For a time we had to meet outside in order to comply with public health regulations.  We still meet at the rose garden in Sidney when the weather is nice. 

We've moved from twice a month meetings to once a month. There used to be a very active knitting group, plying their needles for the Compassionate Warehouse. I saw only one ball of wool this week, but there is talk of reviving the tradition. Yet, despite the changes,  Friendship Coffee at SPPC has endured for over twenty-five years.

One reason may be the delicious home baking provided by Irene, one of our current conveners. But there is more to it than that. I asked a few of the coffee-drinkers on Thursday morning, some of whom are not worshippers at SPPC. Their answer was always the same, "fellowship." There is something special about the friendship offered at SPPC that sets us apart from commercial gathering places. 

If we look to Proverbs, we see many attributes of a friend.

• Friends do not gossip or listen to gossip, allowing it to hurt the friendship (Proverbs 16:28); Friends stick around even when things get difficult,  (Proverbs 18:24).
• Friends give pleasant, sincere advice, seeking our highest good (Proverbs 27:9; Proverbs 12:26); 
•  Friends challenge each other to meet the highest good (Proverbs 27:17).
• Friends are not bad-tempered (Proverbs 22:24-25); 

Perhaps it is these Biblical aspects of being a friend that makes Friendship Coffee so beloved.

As an aside, our Bible Study group is currently looking at the Book of Proverbs.  Wednesday, Oct. 11, the topic is "Finding Widsom." We meet at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome at either time.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, we celebrated Worldwide Communion. This is another form of friendship.  We come from different nations, speak different languages, belong to different denominations, but we are among friends when we gather at the Lord's Table. 

Jesus is Lord congregation, a group who worships in our building on Sunday afternoons, celebrated a milestone in September.  It was the 25th anniversary of their congregation on Vancouver Island, and the 6th anniversary of the group that meets at SPPC.

The congregation is a different demographic from ours, their style of worship is much louder than ours and, in this case, it uses a lot more  purple than ours. But we count them as friends. We worship the same Lord, are redeemed by the same Christ, and live with the same Hope.

 In the coming week;

 May you all enjoy the company of friends.                                           May you prove a faithful friend,                                                            May you walk confidently with our greatest Friend.